Not-So-Real-ationship
by kerouthestrange
Summary: GoGo's and Tadashi's idea of seeking vengeance on their friends for setting them up on a blind date is to fake a relationship with a disastrous end. The issue neither considered is exactly what's fake and what's real. / Tomadashi, AU-ish.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** I swore I'd never do a multi-chapter fic but I honestly had too many scenarios to pass up. Based on an "our asshole mutual friends set us up on a blind date and we're getting back at them" AU idea from tumblr user tickatocka.

Also, sorry about the uninventive title. Bound to change.

* * *

><p>This was just incredible.<p>

"I'm really sorry," Honey Lemon cried, "but something really important came up and I can't make it tonight."

"You made me buy a new dress just for this," GoGo snapped into the phone. And spend half an hour applying make-up, and flatten her hair out.

"Okay, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, but I _promise_ someone else will be there!"

"'_Someone else_'? Wait-who else is flaking out?"

"Gotta go! Text me when he gets there!"

"'He'?! Honey Lemon-"

The buzz blared at the other end before she could get the rest of her sentence out. She wanted to throw her phone at the wall and screech, if only she weren't at a restaurant and societal convention ruled that unacceptable. Of course Honey Lemon would do this. She should have seen this coming. Fred had never celebrated a "half-birthday" before.

She'd been set up on a blind date.

_Ding!_ GoGo's phone screen lit up with a text from her soon-to-be-ex-friend: "The reservation's under 'Tadashi Hamada'," followed by a little heart emoji. She was going to punch the screen. She thought about sending an angry reply and leaving the restaurant, but decided on the silent treatment instead. Besides, it wasn't fair to this... Tadashi Hamada. What if he waited and only for her to never show up? He at least deserved an explanation.

Reluctantly, GoGo lined up at the front desk behind some guy in a dress shirt and slacks.

"Yes, a table under 'Tadashi Hamada,' please?" he was saying.

Her eyes widened.

"Yes, Tadashi Hamada, table for two?" the server replied.

"Ye-wait, two?"

Oh no.

GoGo lightly tapped him on the shoulder, to which he turned his head and _holy crap, Honey Lemon actually didn't screw this one up_. She immediately chased the thought away, flushing, and whispered, "I'll explain."

"Perfect!" the server chirped. "Right this way."

GoGo shot this confused Tadashi Hamada an apologetic glance as the young woman sat them down at a small table in the corner by the window.

"My name's Chun, and I'll be your server this evening," the woman greeted. "Can I get you started with something to drink?"

"Just water," GoGo replied at the same time Tadashi responded, "Water, please."

"All right, two waters coming up."

GoGo turned her gaze back to Tadashi, who was awkwardly staring at the menu. Had to admit he was pretty attractive. Dark hair, tall, lean...

"So, um," he said, glancing back at her, "could you explain to me what's going on?"

"Well, first of all, what did you think was gonna happen?" she asked.

"Wasabi-my friend-told me we were celebrating a friend's... 'half-birthday,' or something."

"Wait-is this friend named Fred?"

"Yeah! You know him, too?"

"You wouldn't also happen to know a Honey Lemon, would you?"

"You... know her, too...?"

"She's the one that told _me_ about a 'half-birthday celebration.'" She pulled out her phone and dangled it between her fingers.

A frown unfurled on Tadashi's face as he came to the same conclusion. "No."

"Yes."

He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. "Unbelievable! Dangit, I'm so _stupid_-nobody celebrates a 'half-birthday'!"

"You're telling me."

"Look, I'm really sorry about this, um..."

"GoGo," she prompted.

"GoGo," he repeated. The corner of his lips turned up. "I'm Tadashi. But, uh, you probably already knew that."

"Kinda."

"I'll pay for your meal tonight-"

"No need."

"Right, um..."

Awkwardly, she went back to studying the menu. On the one hand, he seemed like a genuinely nice guy and it'd be rude to brush him off the entire time. On the other, she didn't want to prove Honey Lemon right by saying she had a nice night.

"Well, while we're here," he said, clearing his throat, "might as well get something to eat, huh?"

"Sure."

Neither of them said much except what they were ordering when the waitress stopped by. She'd gotten a steak, he got pasta.

"So, uh, GoGo. What do you like to do for fun?" Tadashi asked as Chun briskly walked off.

GoGo shrugged, only imagining how hilarious it would be if this went disastrously.

Wait a minute.

"Hey," she said.

"Hm?"

"So this Wasabi guy set you up, right?"

"Well, his name's not really Wasabi; he just got that name because he spilled some on his shirt. His real name's-"

"No worries, I know him, too. What'd he set you up for?"

He stroked his chin in thought. "He's kinda been on my case about getting a life outside school and my brother. And revenge for the whole wasabi thing, I guess."

"So wouldn't it be really hilarious if this whole thing blew up in his face?"

To her delight, a mischievous smile played on Tadashi's lips. "What are you suggesting?"

"I doubt you want Wasabi to win this little game, and I sure as hell don't want to give Honey Lemon any kind of satisfaction."

"So... you want to tell them the date went horribly."

"Worse. We have to make them _regret_ it and never mess with us again." She smirked. "Why don't we start dating-"

"Whoa, wait, what?"

"-and when they think they've done really well, we break up? Horrendously."

"_Ohh_. And for even better effect, we can connect it back to this whole 'blind date' deal-something about not even having to deal with each other if not for that?"

"Perfect."

Nobody would have to struggle with small talk that night-they'd have plenty of time to get to know each other.

...

Of course their friends were ecstatic-and laughably smug-that their date had gone just _fantastic_ and they'd be seeing each other again.

"I _told_ you!" Honey Lemon practically squealed.

"Yeah, you sure did," GoGo mumbled, popping a bubble. "I'm, uh, stopping by his family's café today."

"Oh, that is just adorable! Look at how big you're smiling!"

She thought about how lucky she was that Honey couldn't differentiate between smirks and smiles at the moment.

...

"Wasabi and Fred totally bought it," Tadashi said, stirring his latte. "They thought I couldn't stop smiling when really I was just trying not to laugh."

"Same thing happened with Honey." GoGo sipped her coffee.

"So let's say we make it 'official' tomorrow, and keep it up for..."

"Needs to be long enough that it's really devastating when we 'break up,' but not super long. I'd say a year is pushing it."

"Half of that? Six?"

"Five. Give it five."

He frowned. "Do you really think we can keep it up for that long?"

"We're in the same friend group, and it's not like we _have_ to see each other outside of group hangouts. And if we need an excuse to get out of something, we can just be like, 'Oh, I have a date with so-and-so.'"

"Nice, nice. But wait, what if you find someone you're interested in? I wouldn't want to get in the way of that."

She waved her hand in dismissal. "I'm not interested in anyone at school, and I don't have that kind of time, anyway. You?"

He shrugged. "I got my hands full with my project and watching my brother."

She nodded. "Where is this brother of yours, anyway?"

He chuckled. "Building something, probably. He's really into bot-building."

"What was his name, again?"

"Hiro."

"Hiro. Right."

"So, GoGo," he said, leaning in, "will you be my girlfriend?"

At the very least he made her snort.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Whoa, thanks for the nice reviews. I didn't expect that. Lmfao I usually don't update this quickly but I literally had nothing to do today so here ya go.

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><p>"You didn't tell me you had a girlfriend," Hiro said behind the partition.<p>

"She's not my girlfriend," Tadashi answered, snatching his satchel and heading out the door.

"So who is she?"

"I'll explain later!"

Ignoring his brother's protests about never telling him anything, he Tadashi fled down the stairs and called a "Morning!" at his aunt, scanning the cafê for a girl with purple streaks. He spotted her by the door, impatiently blowing a bubble.

"Morning," he greeted, holding the door open. GoGo simply answered with a salute and gestured for him to follow her out. It was lucky the café happened to be on the way to the institute from her house; they had an excuse to walk to school together and discuss things on the way.

"Walk in holding hands," she instructed, grabbing one of his. Tadashi noted how slim her fingers were and they slipped through his own, as well as how this plan was much easier in theory than in practice. He suddenly couldn't bring himself to look in her general direction and thought maybe this was a really bad idea and should back out before they could embarrass themselves any further.

_You're overreacting_, the rational side of him nagged, _and do you really want Wasabi and Honey Lemon to win?_

No, he decided. And it'd be a huge waste of GoGo's time to wimp out now. And he'd have to explain the whole thing to Hiro, who'd give him hell for it until the grave. He gripped her hand a little tighter and hoped his palm wasn't too sweaty.

The squeal that came from Honey Lemon when they walked in was deafening.

...

"You know, if we keep this up," Tadashi said, hands intact with GoGo's, "we might as well get to know each other?" Holding slender, leather-clad hands rather than his brother's grubby, sticky ones for once was going to take some getting used to.

GoGo shrugged. "I guess."

"I notice you making a bike in the lab sometimes? You like biking?"

"I like speed." She popped a bubble.

When no explanation followed, he decided to just carry on. "So you're trying to make a fast bike."

"The fastest." Pop! "You?"

"I'm building a nursing bot."

...

"So do we get a 'thank you, you were completely right'?" Wasabi asked, meticulously lining up his screws. "Fred, do _not_ touch-"

"It's my fellow brother Hamada's garage," Fred assured in a low, lazy tone. "It's all good."

"It's only been a few weeks," Tadashi replied, half-laughing as he shuffled through his notes.

"Three, to be exact," Wasabi corrected, snatching a wrench from his slovenly friend.

"And?" GoGo asked.

"Well, haven't you been going anywhere since then? Like any dates?" Honey Lemon pressed.

Tadashi and GoGo paused, shooting each other a glance. "Of... course we have," the former answered hesitantly.

"Any pictures?" Wasabi gestured to his phone lying on the desk, which Tadashi immediately swiped.

"_Uh-huh_."

"Do you need to look at_ everything_, you snoop?" GoGo snapped.

"We're going to the park this Saturday. Uh, cherry blossom viewing."

"Oh, that reminds me! I, um, left something in your room. Can you help me look for it?"

"Sure... um, sweetie?"

The smile on GoGo's face was beginning to look plastered as she grabbed his hand and dragged him up the stairs. Tadashi turned to his friends (somewhat pleadingly), as they all waved and Fred attempted a subtle wink.

"You know what this means, right?" GoGo whispered fiercely as soon as they were out of reach.

"Lots of fake pictures?"

"They're definitely gonna spy on us."

"What? Wasabi wouldn't do that."

"Unless Honey Lemon and Fred dragged him into it."

He hadn't thought about that. "Well, shoot."

She groaned. "Okay, Hamada. You, me, park. Saturday."

"Gotcha."

"One more thing."

"Yes, your highness?"

He yelped as a sharp pain suddenly struck his arm. Rubbing the sore spot, he turned back to her with _"Why?"_ expression.

"No pet names."

...

He'd almost forgotten how nicely she could clean herself up. A loose white top and black skirt replaced her usual athletic attire, and she'd pulled her hair back. Before he could get a word out, GoGo simply greeted him with, "Don't look. They're behind that tree."

Pretending to gaze at the pink blossoms, Tadashi caught a stream of blonde hair behind one of the trunks.

"Ah," he said, slipping his hand into GoGo's with ease. "Maybe sit somewhere more spacious?"

"Let's make them push past the crowds."

It was fun, he had to admit, watching them struggle through a rather large gathering via the phone screen as the pair pretended to take selfies (and a few real ones for "proof").

"I brought hot wings," he announced, pulling a container out of his satchel.

"Where'd you get those?" she asked, reaching into her bag as well.

"Made them. They're not as good as my aunt's, but-you're _drinking_?" he exclaimed as she yanked out a bottle of rice wine.

"I got it from my dad's cabinet." She frowned. "You're right, that can wait."

"I don't drink."

"Not even wine?"

"We don't keep it in the house. Hiro might take some; that's why Aunt Cass stress eats instead."

She rolled her eyes. "Boy, you guys. Lemme guess, you don't curse either."

His grumble was his answer.

"That'd drive me nuts if that were me."

"Don't you have siblings?"

"I'm talking about your brother. He's fourteen. You can't baby him forever."

"It's more of a habit than a precaution now."

"Do you go cherry blossom viewing a lot?" She crossed her legs and stared at the petals, floating to the ground like pink snow.

"My parents used to bring me." He propped his arm on the ground and leaned back, getting comfortable. "I think we sat around the same place one year."

"Come to think, where are they?"

Tadashi kept his eyes on the petals. "Dead. Since I was eight."

GoGo didn't answer right away; she just swirled her finger in the petals piling up beside her. "I'm sorry."

"It was a long time ago. Hiro doesn't even remember them." He decided to change the subject. "What about you? You got family?"

"Yeah. They had to pay a lot of medical bills when I was younger."

"Why? Were you sick?"

She shook her head. "I kept having accidents because I kept riding bikes and skateboards when I was younger. Took my first joyride when I was twelve."

He laughed. "That's actually not surprising." She rolled her eyes just as a petal landed in her bangs. "Hold still." Imitating Wasabi's precision, he picked the petal with two fingers and flicked it away, leaving long strands of hair to fall in GoGo's eyes.

"Nice." She'd chuckled a little, though.

"I got this." Gently, he brushed the hair out of her eyes (they were so _brown_) and tucked them behind her ear. For a moment he swore her cheeks tinged red, but must have been his imagination. There was pink everywhere.

"For the plan, right?" she mumbled with downcast eyes.

"Right," he answered, clearing his throat, although he wasn't so sure he believed it.

...

"What are you looking at?" GoGo asked coyly, hovering over Honey Lemon's phone.

"Nothing!" she squeaked, shutting it off instantly. GoGo turned to Tadashi, who flashed a knowing smirk.

"So are you still going for udon with us?" Wasabi called from the door. "Or would you two lovebirds rather be alone?"

"No, we're down," Tadashi said, grasping GoGo's hand.

"No one can deny the heart that yarns-" Fred began.

"Yearns," Honey corrected.

"-but we happen to be riding a most radical vehicle to said location."

"We're not walking, guys," Wasabi translated. "I'm driving."

Tadashi let the information process before he realized what it meant and instantly released GoGo's hand. "Oh." He hadn't given it thought; it was a reflex to him by now. Meanwhile she was staring at her palm, as if missing something.

...

Tadashi loaded his noodles into his spoon and slurped, the broth nearly scalding his tongue. Deciding to wait for his soup to cool, he turned his attention to his phone and noticed the date.

"It's been a month," he whispered to GoGo, who'd been mercilessly shoved in the corner with him.

"Has it really?" she asked, eyes widening. "Huh. Thought it'd feel longer."

"Is our relationship so tedious?" he teased.

She shoved him playfully. "I got the chicken udon. You want a piece?"

"Can I?"

"You like chicken." With her chopsticks, she dropped a hunk of the white meat into his bowl. _Plop!_

"Where's the rice wine when you need it?"

"Shut up and take a selfie with me."

"Whatever you say, your pet-name-less."

Wrapping her arm around his, she pulled her phone out of her pocket. Without question, he positioned his fingers in a peace sign and puckered his lips as the shutter went off.

"This is the corniest pose you've ever done," she said, smiling at the image. Tadashi noticed their arms were still linked.

...

Tadashi wondered if lifting heavy eyelids counted as working out. He scratched his chin, the 5 o'clock shadow prickling his fingers. _Just one more time_.

"This is the 33rd test."

Static and flailing arms ensued. As well as a hatred of science in general and regret at not going to law school. He would've thrown Baymax out the window had he not spotted a short silhouette at the door.

"You heard me," he said aloud.

"What was your first clue?" GoGo asked sarcastically. When he didn't answer, she sighed. "I was actually wondering if you had some paper I could borrow."

"In the drawer." He motioned at the desk. "What are you doing here so late?"

"I could ask you the same thing." She took a few sheets. "All-nighter?"

He nodded, sliding to the floor. "I should've gone to law school."

She popped a bubble and left the papers on the desk, taking a seat beside him. He felt something warm curl over his knuckles, but felt too tired to check. "Not as exciting, though."

"Not as _frustrating_."

"You never know." She yawned, and Tadashi noticed the bags under her eyes, too, like her purple eyeshadow had flipped downwards. She was also nodding off, and the lab floor definitely wasn't one of the most comfortable surfaces to sleep on. "If you went to law school, we wouldn't be pulling off such a fantastic prank."

"Are we pulling it off?"

"It's month two, Hamada. I think they're buying it just fine."

Month two, month two, month two. He _really_ didn't expect it to happen this fast. He glanced at his knuckles to see exactly what that was and realized it'd been GoGo's hand.

"You need some sleep."

"And you don't?"

He withdrew his hand and slinked his arm around her shoulders. He felt her drawing in a sharp breath and panicked that he'd scared her, but almost immediately she relaxed.

"Nobody's around," she whispered.

"I'm not doing it for them," he answered. He was too tired to say anymore. "You need sleep."

He hadn't even finished his sentence before she'd nestled her head beneath his, and her breathing steadied. That was when his eyelids won over.

...

"It's not what it looks like," he blurted upon their discovery.

"Mm-hmm." Wasabi nodded, smirking. "Of course it's not."

"We-we just fell asleep." His face was practically burning.

GoGo was sulking in the corner, refusing to face anyone.

"Oh, relax," Honey assured. "It's not like we didn't know you're kind of an... item. You're fine."

"Did she just say 'an item'?" Tadashi asked, turning back to GoGo.

"That's Spanish for 'slept in the same room'," Fred explained lazily.

"That's not what it means, Fred."

"Right," GoGo snapped, pushing her way through the door. "We're _dating_. It's fine, Hamada."

"GoGo." he followed her out, much to the confusion of their friends.

When they were far enough away, she turned to face him. Seeing the neutral expression on her face, he thought he'd worried for nothing, but then she spoke,

"We're two months into this game." Her voice was shaky. "We can win."

He bit his lip. "Is it a game?"

"What?"

Regret. More regret than not applying for law school. "Never mind. Forget I asked."

So she did.

...

Hiro was not as hilarious as he often claimed, and his revenges were elementary. Tadashi told him so as he rushed to pull his jacket on and scolded him more for his little prank.

"You shouldn't have taken the last doughnut last night," Hiro said mischievously from his bed, tut-tutting as his flipped the pages of his magazine.

"Resetting alarm clocks and making your brother late for school is your best form of revenge?" he yelled, grabbing his hat and rushing down the stairs.

"No, making your _girlfriend_ mad is!" he cackled. "Have fun plotting better revenge!"

"I'm warning you, knucklehead!" But of course Hiro pretended not to hear.

"You're the knucklehead," GoGo growled. "We're gonna be late."

"Follow me."

"Uh, where?"

"We're taking the moped." He expected some comment about how her bike could go faster, but she loaded onto the moped without question, buckling the helmet on. As he revved up the engine, she wrapped her arms tightly around his torso, and memories of the night at the lab struck him like a hammer. He shrugged it off with the reminder that they were very, very late and to buy a box of compensation pop-tarts on the way home.

Month two and a half, he thought. Month two and a half.

...

Not checking to see if the midnight snack pop-tart had been the last was a bad idea. Putting extra security on the alarm clock was a seemingly good idea until Hiro, in his hilarity, had actually _broken_ it.

Tadashi explained this as he and GoGo boarded the moped at the end of the day, when the sky was turning pink and a cool breeze blowing.

"Ah," GoGo said. "I thought you looked extra mad this morning."

"Yeah," he muttered. "Sorry for making you late again."

"Whatever. The lecture was actually kinda useless today."

"So, you don't mind if I, um..."

"Compensation grocery shopping?"

"You know me so well, girlfriend."

A girl could only roll her eyes so much.

...

He'd dropped her off at her home to make up for the time he'd made her waste, despite her insisting she didn't care.

"It's, uh," he said, scratching the back of his neck, "month three."

The wind blew on, and she popped her gum. "Yeah. Already, huh?" She half-laughed. "So only two more until..." A leaf landed on her forehead, cutting her off.

"I'll get that." He pulled it from her bangs, followed by those pesky strands of hair falling in front of her eyes.

Brown, brown eyes, he thought, brushing those out of the way, too. Then a little further back. Without thinking, he leaned in and pressed his lips to her temple. Just as suddenly, he pulled back.

"I'll, um," he stammered. "I'm sorry."

He didn't even look at her as he swung one leg over his moped and rode off.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Sorry for the wait, guys! Things got a little busy, but I managed to get this out. And to address a comment, yeah, the timing does feel a little rushed. I originally planned for this to be a one-shot, but I ended up having too many ideas and scenarios to write down. Thank you so much for your nice reviews, they mean a lot! (Also, I apologize for any typos and errors-often I don't proofread since this is just recreational writing although I should probably get on that :P)

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><p>It's all for the plan, she repeated to herself over and over like a mantra. It's not real. It's all for the plan. Her heart should <em>not<em> be racing like she'd just sprinted five miles.

_Nobody was watching_, something in her nagged.

He's just joking around.

_Is it really just a game?_

Yes. Yes, yes, yes. He would _never_ feel that way about you.

Not ever.

Nevertheless, she raised her fingertips to her forehead, replaying the sensation of his lips pressed against it.

...

GoGo froze in place, eyes glued to the Lucky Cat Café sign. She mulled over her choices-text Tadashi right now that she had an early class to get to and had to leave without him, or go ahead with their routine and act like nothing happened. The former was too suspicious; he would _know_ something was up.

_Here goes nothing._ With a deep breath, she pushed open the doors to the café and walked in as usual, chewing her gum rapidly. She half-hoped he'd eaten a last _something_ so they could ride the moped and have an excuse not to speak to each other, but as luck would have it, he was walking down the stairs with a casual grin on his face.

Maybe that was a good thing. Maybe it really _had_ meant nothing. She rolled her eyes, embarrassed at her own irrationality.

"Morning," he greeted, slipping his hand into hers. The forehead kiss flashed through her mind.

"Morning," she mumbled, popping her gum. As he led her outside, she waited for him to say something. _I'm sorry about yesterday, I don't know what I was thinking, I want to quit this charade,_ but nothing came.

God. She was definitely way overthinking this. In two months this would be over and they could go their separate ways and never deal with hand-holding, forehead-kissing business again.

So what was that dread in her chest?

...

"Three months, huh?" Honey Lemon asked, braiding GoGo's hair. They were more like little braids sprouting all over her head, since her actual hair was too short. Honey tended to do this when her hands were idle and GoGo didn't care so long as she didn't yank anything out.

"And a half," GoGo added, but who was counting?

"I think that's a record."

GoGo shifted at the foot of Honey's bed, where the latter remained poised and intensely focused on braiding.

"You should really get a TV in your room or something," GoGo muttered.

"Don't change the subject! I _told_ you the right person was out there. I mean, this is the longest since-"

"My longest was about a week, thanks." She popped a bubble.

"Oh, GoGo, you can't keep letting _that_ bother you-"

"It doesn't. Lots of people aren't even interested in romance and they're just fine."

Honey Lemon hesitated. "But you're not one of those people."

She stopped chewing. "It just sucks, okay? Always being told they only like you _as_ _friends_, but they could never... you know."

"Well..." Honey resumed her task, chipper and optimistic. "Well, you have Tadashi now! So you know that's not true!"

"Yeah," she mumbled. "Sure."

"You owe me big time for that blind date. Fourth time's the charm, huh?"

...

GoGo rested comfortably against Tadashi, arms wrapped around his stomach as they watched the blaring TV. Everyone had gathered at his apartment for movie night; Aunt Cass was in her own room watching her soap opera, and the rest of the gang was in the kitchen refilling snacks or drinks. That left the two of them.

Is this a joke? Is this part of the plan? GoGo asked herself, thinking of Tadashi's one arm draped around her, her body leaning on his. They hadn't budged since everyone else left the room, and she was wondering if he was too polite to just shrug her off.

"Nobody's here," she whispered. "Do you want to move?"

"I'm all right," he answered before pausing. "Oh. My bad. Do you want to?"

She shook her head. "They'll be back any minute now."

His eyebrows furrowed. "Look..."

Oh man, there it was.

"About the kiss... I..."

_Oh God._

"I'm really, really sorry." He bit his lip. "I-I should've asked-no, I shouldn't have done it. I don't know what... I'm sorry."

Her head was spinning. Was she relieved? Disappointed? Annoyed? "Whatever," she finally answered. Dammit. "Part of the plan. I get it." Dammit, dammit, dammit.

"Right. That's it." He pressed his lips tightly.

_Dammit._ "Look, I really don't care that you kissed me, okay? It's all right." She averted his gaze. "It was nice."

"Oh." Tadashi's body relaxed, and GoGo could feel his breathing. Slow, steady. He laughed lightly. "Okay. Um, sorry I didn't ask the first time."

She frowned. "Nope."

"N-nope?"

"Apology not accepted."

"Aw, crap." Tadashi withdrew his arm and buried his face in his hand. "I'm so-I'll back off-"

Swiftly, she pressed her lips to his temple and drew back, cheeks burning. "_Now_ your apology's accepted." She buried her face his chest and felt his arm slowly curl back around her.

"Unbelievable." He was chuckling as he said it.

...

Kisses soon followed each "Morning," and preceded every departure. Honey Lemon nearly fainted with delight, and GoGo swore she heard Wasabi whisper, "How did we not notice _that_ before?" the first time. Soon enough it became a competition of who would land the first kiss-GoGo knew she was the fastest, but half the time she let Tadashi win. Just because it felt nice.

_Really_ nice. She always wound up wishing he would linger. Her hand always felt at home in his as he asked her about herself, how her day was, what did she have for lunch. Mostly she liked listening about his own life-his family, his cat, his project.

"Were you always a San Fransokyo Ninjas fan?" she asked. The group had another outing at the shopping district and Wasabi was desperately keeping Fred from knocking over any of the displays.

"Well, I didn't start paying attention to them until after my brother bought me the hat," Tadashi answered.

"Huh. No kidding." Another bubble pop.

"You have any favorite teams? I figure you might be into races or whatever."

"I wonder what ever gave you the idea." When he laughed, she just rolled her eyes again. "I like auto races."

"I'm just saying, it'd be totally radical if we saved the city from bombs wired into the alarm clocks-" Fred was saying.

"The city would most certainly _not _be safe in your hands," Wasabi interjected.

Tadashi coughed. "Um, you know... Why don't we hang out sometime? Just the two of us."

"A fake date?" GoGo asked.

"No, not a fake date. Like a real d-hangout. Real hangout. Not, uh, date, if you're not..."

"Why?"

He flushed. "I mean... We could use a break. Instead of just putting on a show for everyone like usual."

Oh. Of course. He was probably tired of holding hands all the time. Still, he did want to hang out,_ just the two of them_. "That sounds... cool."

...

Tadashi's idea of a date (_hangout_, GoGo reminded herself) was a ramen restaurant. It wasn't one of those ostentatious restaurants their friends went to, jam-packed with tourists and admirers of "exotic" foods. This one was relatively tiny, likely family-owned, and the customers consisted of elderly Asian folk and a few families scattered across little tables hushing their children in another language. A middle-aged lady impatiently beckoned and seated them in a more private corner and laid the menus down. A large bowl's price was meager compared to the exorbitant price of a mere sushi plate at the tourist-y restaurants.

"To be honest, I like it here a lot better," Tadashi admitted sheepishly, "but everyone else in our group seems to like the bigger restaurants, so I haven't really gone since college started."

"I went to places like these with my family all the time," GoGo murmured, studying the menu. "I haven't been back in a while either."

He smiled half-heartedly. "My parents brought Hiro and me, but never Aunt Cass. I never came back until I was sixteen."

The waitress returned to take their orders. Tadashi had chicken udon, GoGo had the spiciest ramen on the menu. The first sip hit her with a wave of nostalgia. Her family driving to little restaurants on the weekends, challenges over who could handle the spiciest dishes longest, being scolded for eating too little or not enough. There was something about the taste of the hot broth and the noodles whipping at her chin; the spice made it feel alive, but mostly it felt like home.

"Why didn't you ever take the group here?" she asked.

Slurp. "I don't know. I guess... it just feels different, you know, being here with your friends and not your family."

"You brought me."

"Well, that-" His cheeks tinged pink. "I mean... you don't _feel_ like a friend."

"Thanks."

"No, that's not what I meant!" He yanked his cap over his face. "Ugh. No. I mean, like... It feels different with you. Like... like you know me better than they do." In spite of the cap, GoGo could guess his face had gone scarlet. "I guess it's because we spend so much time together?" He lowered it beneath his eyes, confirming her suspicion.

"Ah. The price of being stuck together."

"I wouldn't really say we're _stuck_," he objected, adjusting the cap back on his head. "I... like being with you, actually."

She quickly resumed slurping her noodles so he would have only her scalp to talk to. "Your noodles are getting cold, Hamada." After all, if he could only see her scalp, there was no way he could see the corners of her lips lifting.

...

"Thanks," she said simply at the end of the day. He'd dropped her off at home again, likely because he was too polite to just ditch her. The dork.

"Thanks for coming," was his response. "Um, did you have fun?"

"I didn't leave and stick you with the bill, so I'd say it was all right."

"Lucky me." For a moment neither of them said a thing; he just looked to the sky. "Four months already, huh?"

The comment took her by surprise. "Has it really?" It really hadn't seemed that long.

"Yeah." He shoved his hands in his pockets and smiled shyly. "It's been... a ride."

She punched his arm softly. "It's not over yet, doofus."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. One more month. Of all this." He waved his fingers in the air.

She snorted. "Hey, just because we're 'breaking up' doesn't mean we're never seeing each other again."

"Point taken." Trembling slightly, he held out a hand. "Can I, um..."

He wanted a handshake? Confused, GoGo reached for it, only to be pulled into his arms. For a moment she sucked in her breath, but just as quickly realized she'd misinterpreted the request and exhaled. It felt warm. _He_ was warm. And he smelled of cinnamon and coffee, probably because from the café. She clung to his cardigan and nuzzled her face in his chest, inhaling his scent. Memories of movie night and forehead kisses and hand holding and mopeds flooded her, leading to only one thought. _Stay._

Of course he had to let go eventually, mumbling a nervous good-bye and thank you, and she wanted to grab him and pull him back. That was when it slapped her in the face, although it should have been obvious.

She was in love with Tadashi Hamada.

...

She had one month. One month to hold his hand, kiss and be kissed, lose herself in his embrace.

There would be no more excuses afterwards.

...

"How do we do this?" Tadashi asked at the café that night. One day, one more day.

"Well, what have you been complaining about?" GoGo asked. They'd needed a little more distance the two weeks before The End, something needed to go wrong, or the group would be a little suspicious.

"Um. That you're cold. And unfeeling. None of those things are true, by the way," he added hastily.

"Relax, doofus. I've been telling Honey you're too clingy and demanding."

Which was also a lie, she noted mentally. If anything she wished she'd had more of him those last two weeks. But she couldn't have everything.

"Nice. So, um... we just have a really bad fight in front of them. We're for sure going to Honey's place tomorrow?"

"Yeah. Not just bad, though-explosive. You have to be mean."

"Right, um..."

"I'm not gonna be the problem here. You are."

"M-me?"

She frowned and nodded. "You're too... nicey-nice."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"For this, yes. You gotta yell, really yell. Let it all out."

"But I'm not actually mad at you."

"Pretend I'm Hiro after he broke your alarm clock."

"Hey!" Hiro yelled from the counter.

Tadashi stuck a tongue at his brother and turned his attention back to GoGo. "So..."

"Woman up, Hamada."

"Right, right." Deep breaths, clearing of the throat. "Look here, you _knucklehead_-"

"You sound like an insecure school bully. Get angry. You're about to break up with me."

"Um... You-you look... How _dare_ you stick me with the bill at lunch."

"You're _pathetic!_" Hiro cried.

"I'm trying!"

"He's got a point," GoGo agreed, popping her bubblegum and rising from her chair. "Hiro, can you take it from here? I gotta head back."

"Do you need a ride back?" Tadashi asked, concerned. "It's dark out-"

She pressed four fingers to his lips. "I can handle myself," she deadpanned.

"Okay," he said when she pulled her hand back. "Be safe."

"Kick her _out_," Hiro coached. "You're never gonna have a proper 'break-up' that way."

She saluted the boy and swung the door open. As she climbed her bike, she gave one last glance at Tadashi, who was waving good-bye (much to his brother's chagrin). She rode on.

...

GoGo made sure she was later than everyone else just to make a show. Part of her mourned the loss of the charade, but she decided they'd had a good run and it was better to get it over with and stomp out those pesky _feelings_. Honey welcomed her into the living room, where everyone else had already made themselves comfortable. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted Tadashi pointedly avoiding her and resisted the urge to laugh. She also noticed Hiro, who likely didn't want to miss the fun and had several bags of chips at the ready.

"Did you and Tadashi have another fight?" Honey whispered worriedly. "You're both... well..."

"It's nothing," she answered loudly.

"It's always nothing," Tadashi said from the couch. GoGo wanted to groan. It sounded so forced. Even Hiro was fiercely flipping his sleeves, although thankfully to the others he merely appeared to be scolding him.

"I'm sorry, did you have something you want to say to me?

He flushed. Likely in embarrassment, but maybe they'd misinterpret that as anger. Good. "Oh, well, you know... It's _nothing_."

"Okay, look," she said curtly, "how about instead of whining to your baby brother in the corner you say it to my face?"

"Guys, don't do this," Wasabi protested while Hiro looked indignant at being called _baby_. (Not that it deterred his amusement or binge snacking.)

"Why? You're just going to brush me off again and act like it's not a big deal."

It took all her willpower to not burst out laughing at everyone's shocked faces. She had to give the Hamada brothers credit. "I'm sorry not everyone's some clingy baby who can't hold up on his own for five seconds."

"Please, everyone, just calm down," Honey Lemon pleaded. "You're not-"

"At least I'm giving a crap about people! What have _you_ done?" Tadashi snapped. He probably couldn't bring himself to yell, but that only made the situation all the more tense.

"Why do I need to be doing anything?"

"That's your problem. You don't _care_ about anything."

"I certainly don't care about you right now."

"That's obvious."

"So you're still gonna be stuck on this, huh?"

"Uh, dudes, dudettes, this isn't so radical," Fred interjected.

"I agree with Fred," Wasabi added. "Look! I'm agreeing with _Fred!_"

"You're a leech, Hamada," GoGo seethed. She was starting to feel slightly uncomfortable with where this was going, especially with everyone genuinely getting anxious.

"I'm a leech for trying to make this work." Maybe because she'd been so close to him all the time, but she swore she could see the discomfort in his eyes as well. "That's... That's not what you thought when we first met."

_Clumsy_, she thought. But maybe he wanted to get it over with as much as she did and maybe he was realizing they were pushing it too. Even Hiro's chip consumption was slowing down.

"When we met," she continued, "I didn't know who you were. That's the point of a _blind date_, genius." She watched Honey Lemon cringe. It wasn't as satisfying as she'd imagined.

"So who am I now?"

"A _mistake._"

"_Ooh,_" Hiro and Fred whispered, flinching. Wasabi's and Honey's jaws dropped in horror. Instantly she regretted it, even if they had been just acting. Tadashi's expression remained blank.

"I guess I know why it was blind date," he finally answered. "Nobody would want to be with you otherwise."

GoGo froze in place. She vaguely heard Hiro dropping his chips and didn't pay any attention to how the others were reacting. Tadashi must've noticed the change, because his expression immediately softened and he whispered, "Wait."

It's for the prank, she repeated to herself, it's for the prank, it's for the prank, it's all a game.

"_Is it just a game?_" Tadashi's words echoed in her head.

"GoGo-"

She took a step back, not even opening her mouth to respond.

"Surprise!" Hiro yelled.

It was then that she started laughing, much to the group's bewilderment. Her rational side ironically told her yes, you should be laughing, now's the time. But there was a knot in her chest she couldn't shove aside.

"Kidding," she wheezed, wiping her eyes. "We're kidding." She looked at Tadashi, who had an awkward but unconvincing smile plastered on his face.

Honey Lemon and Wasabi frowned while Fred looked like he was trying to process what just happened.

"That wasn't funny," Honey whispered.

"No, what's _funny_ is this whole relationship business."

"What?"

"We were never dating," Tadashi admitted, hands in his pockets. "We just did all that stuff to mess with you guys."

"It's true," Hiro confirmed, popping a chip in his mouth.

"Wait a minute!" Wasabi exclaimed, flabbergasted. "So... so _all_ that time... these past few _months_..."

"Not real," GoGo finished.

"So... since the blind date..." Honey stammered.

"Yeah, don't ever set me up on one of those again."

"That's kind of whole reason we did it," Tadashi explained.

"I can't believe you guys! All this because we set you up on _one _blind date?" Wasabi shouted.

"Yeah, pretty much."

"You have to admit that's some dedication," Hiro said.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Fred yelled, waving his hands wildly. "Wait, guys, I think I have this all figured out." His voice dropped to a low whisper. "I don't think Tadashi and GoGo were in a real relationship."

Wasabi smacked himself in the forehead.

"No, Fred," Honey Lemon sighed. "They don't have any feelings for each other after all."

The knot in GoGo's chest tightened as she exchanged looks with Tadashi. His eyes looked apologetic, and he opened his mouth to say something.

"No," GoGo said. "It was just some game."

Honey Lemon and Wasabi had sunken into the couch by now, and Honey was even starting to giggle, but the knot in GoGo's chest felt constricting.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Oh man. It's corny, I know. And I'm sorry about the wait. But thanks for the patience and nice reviews! I really appreciate y'all who stuck with this pooptastic fic. C:

* * *

><p>"I'm really sorry."<p>

GoGo rolled her eyes. "For what?" she retorted.

"For what I said," Tadashi clarified. "I really didn't mean it."

"Well, duh. That's what why it's called acting, doofus."

"You're... not upset?"

She popped a bubble. "What's there to be upset over? Look, even Wasabi's stopped being so sore. You're allowed to laugh about it, you know."

He bit his lip. "What I said was still really mean."

"So? That's the point. Are you upset that I called you a mistake?"

"Um... not really." It wasn't anything compared to being called "unwanted."

"Exactly. Woman up, Hamada. It was _fake_. A game. And we won."

That was the last thing she said to him all day.

...

"Not bad," Hiro complimented, opening another bag of chips Honey Lemon so generously granted him. "You didn't even have to pull out the flashcards."

Tadashi didn't respond; he just kept his eyes glued to the floor.

"Nice delivery on the finishing blow, by the way. I actually took that from one of Aunt Cass's soap operas." He flopped onto the bed and reached for one his robotics magazines. "Now if you want to get really harsh next time, you should watch one of those Korean ones. Uh, not that I watch them. But, um, hypothetically if you do, you should really check out Rooftop Pr-" He scrunched his face. "_Hello_, earth to Tadashi?"

"Huh?" He snapped out of his daze. "Oh. You watch soap operas?"

"No!" he sputtered. "I don't even _understand_ Chinese or Korean."

"Never said anything about those."

The younger brother frowned. "Anyway, you owe me big time for all those lines. You wuss."

...

Confusion hit Tadashi when he ran downstairs and found no one waiting at the door. He glanced at the clock to make sure he wasn't too early before realizing there was no real reason for GoGo to be there.

Right.

"Hey Wasabi," he greeted as he entered the lab. "Honey. Fred." Did Fred ever go to his own school? "Morning, GoGo."

GoGo answered with a salute and a pop of her bubblegum. His lips itched to kiss her cheek, her temple, _everywhere_.

_Shut up, Tadashi,_ he thought, mentally smacking himself. What now? Should he strike up a conversation with her or just stick to smalltalk? Was it too soon? She'd probably roll her eyes and reprimand him for taking the whole thing so seriously. Just because their "relationship" was over didn't mean their friendship was. She'd something like that before.

"Your bike project going okay?" he finally asked.

"Not fast enough," was her response. "Yet."

"Well... good luck."

_Stupid,_ stupid_,_ he thought as he stumbled to his own lab. What was he even expecting? They were still friends after all. There was no reason for awkwardness and horrible embarrassment. No reason for a downpour of regret over_ scripted_ words. As long as they were still friends (were always _just friends_), they could still talk and hang out as usual. As long as they were still friends, he'd lost nothing.

And yet... he couldn't shake that feeling. That she_ knew_. That she'd always known. She'd probably known since he first kissed her. That was, after all, when he'd figured his own feelings out himself.

But she didn't feel the same, and he decided not to push it.

...

"I still can't believe you," Wasabi muttered. A guy could only arrange and rearrange tools so many times. Not like GoGo, who didn't need "organization" as long as she knew where something was when she needed it. (_Stop thinking about her,_ Tadashi chided himself.)

"Admit it," he replied with a chuckle, "it's the best prank we've ever pulled."

"It was a very _dedicated_ prank, that much I'll give you. Five months! Who does that?"

"Not me ever again if you swear to stop setting me up."

"For the record, it was Honey's idea." Tadashi whistled, flipping the page of his book until Wasabi finally relented. "Okay, fine. Never again. I couldn't deal with all that garbage if it were for real."

"So you actually felt guilty?"

"Me and Honey both, you nut! I was renaming your couple name 'Regret' in my head."

Tadashi shut his book. "We had a couple name?"

"Honey's idea. From when we were planning the date."

"Unbelievable."

"Your idea of revenge is 'unbelievable.'"

"It was GoGo's idea, actually."

"Figures. I can't see her actually wanting to do all that intimacy stuff-you know, in a real relationship. She's just too stoic."

"She's not so bad you know," Tadashi said, not really paying attention to the book anymore. "She's pretty nice."

"Uh-huh..." Wasabi said, suspicion in his tone.

"And she's really funny. Like this one time, we went to the park for the cherry blossoms-"

"I _know_ about that, I was th-uh, she already... told me about it. Anyway, we don't need another 'this-one-time-my-girlfriend' story."

"I don't talk about her that m-she's not my girlfriend."

"You sure talk like it."

"Give me a break. I was in this charade for five months."

"Uh-huh. That's what it is."

He cleared his throat. "So, uh, are we still going for ramen this week? All of us?"

...

"How was your day?" Tadashi asked GoGo asked the gang briskly walked through the streets.

"Fantastic. I got to sit next to Fred the entire ride here," she answered dryly.

"That's great. We know you're the best of friends."

"Yeah, that's something to put in my diary. 'Dear diary, I got to sit with my secret crush today and listen to his poetic story of his wet socks.'"

He laughed, but something about the _secret crush_ poked at him and he wondered if it was morally acceptable to scoot between the two on the way back.

"I went back to the ramen restaurant a few days ago," GoGo added.

"You did?"

"Yeah, the lady recognized me. She asked me where my boyfriend was." She snorted. "We're gonna have to break it to her next time."

"You... want to go back? Together?" He was sure he looked like a huge doofus, but he couldn't help grinning.

"Well... I mean, if you want to do that again, that is. I don't care. You know, 'just friends' thing and all."

"Uh, yeah. Totally."

"And if Honey ever asks you, that's my excuse for not going out with any of the guys she has her list. She's not tricking me into blind dates anymore, but she's still trying to set me up."

"And you're not interested in any of them?"

She popped her bubblegum. "Well, there's that. But they usually don't work out anyway." Pop. "I'm not the type of person people want to be with."

Tadashi wanted to shout and ram his head into the wall. And should he do so, only one thought would be left in his head: he was an idiot.

...

Hiro poked at his brother, who was staring forlornly at the door, with the mop. "She's not gonna be there," he said.

"I'm not expecting her to!" Tadashi protested. "You stare off into space too, you know."

"Yeah, but I know where she used to show up, and you're definitely thinking about her."

"No, I'm not."

"Well, considering I never said her name," he countered slyly, "but you know who I'm talking about..."

The older brother ran a hand over his face. "Shut up, knucklehead."

"Just call her," he goaded.

"Absolutely not."

"Why? You'd rather mope all day?"

"It's your turn to _mop_ the floor today, you know."

"Lucky for me, I'm on a lunch break." Hiro pulled out a chair and sat down, resting his chin in the palm of his hand. He raised an eyebrow at Tadashi. "So anyway, why don't you just tell her?"

"We're just friends."

"That's a pathetic excuse."

"_She_ thinks we're just friends."

"How would you know?"

"Hiro, are you just doing all this to get out of work?"

"Maybe."

"Unbelievable."

"Also, I'm really done with watching you feel sorry for yourself all the time. You just push the buttons in the phone. It's not rocket science."

"Would you get back to work already?" Tadashi interrupted. "Aunt Cass isn't gonna be too thrilled when she comes back and the floors are dirty."

"Don't change the subject. Is moping about a girl all day really better than just being straight up with her?" He tapped his own forehead. "Use that big brain of yours."

"Look, we're just friends. Okay? She doesn't like me that way. Especially not after what I said."

"What you... said?" Hiro frowned. "You mean the fake fight?"

Tadashi nodded.

"But... you both knew that was fake. It was scripted. _I_ scripted that."

"It doesn't matter. I think it actually hurt her." He groaned. "And it's my fault."

His brother hesitated. "Well, it didn't look like..." Frown. "I mean, you could clear this up by just telling the truth. You know. Use that big brain of yours! It shouldn't be hard."

"So you tell a girl you love her."

"Whoa, whoa, back up. You _love_ her?" He blanched. "You're such a sap."

"Sure, I am. So what was the name of that drama you were hypothetically recommending?"

Hiro's eyes widened and instead of answering he checked his bare wrist. "Would you look at that! Lunch break is over." The short boy grabbed the mop and resumed swiping the floors, but he looked much deeper in thought as he did it.

...

Tadashi watched as GoGo slung her bag over her shoulder and headed for the door. The discussion with his brother played over and over in his head. Tell or don't tell.

"GoGo!" he called as her hand touched the handle. "How... How're you doing?"

"I'm good."

"Right." Just say it. "Look, can we-can we talk?"

She pulled her hand from the handle and turned to face him with an eyebrow raised. "About?"

Gulp. "I... just wanted..." Should he do it? "I wanted to ask..." Should he just get it over with? "...if you needed a ride home."

She blew a bubble and popped. "No... thanks?"

"Oh. Right, yeah, okay."

"Is that it?"

Face warming, he wondered what would happen if he jumped into a fire at that exact moment. "I was... also wondering what you were doing this weekend."

Pop. "Honey wants me to go out with this guy."

Why wouldn't the floor just open up and swallow him already? "I see."

"But I'm not really into it."

"You're not?"

"No. In fact, I think I wanna put that excuse to use."

"Excuse... You mean the ramen thing?"

"Yeah, that one. Except... do you want to go to the park instead?" She crossed her arms. "The owner doesn't know about our 'breakup' and I don't want to confuse her."

"You sure you don't want to keep up that game with her?"

"What'd she ever do to you, Hamada?"

"Kidding. I'm down. But no alcohol."

...

The park was pretty nice when nobody had to deal with the pressure of spying friends and keeping up a fake date.

"Too bad about the cherry blossoms," Tadashi murmured, glancing at the bare trees.

"They'll grow back," GoGo said. She'd stuck to her casual wear for the day, although her hair was tied back. Why was he noticing these things? "Damn. Do you think I could stop by for those hot wings sometime?"

"We have fried chicken, too, if you're into that."

"Fried chicken's only good with beer, and we know how you feel about that."

Tadashi laughed, marveling at how easily they could slip back into their old banter. Telling her the truth, on the other hand...

"I like biking here," she commented. "There's so much space. And kids know how to get out of the way."

"No accidents, huh?"

"No, not for them. They know." She scratched her head a little, and a few strands fell in her eyes. Out of habit, he reached out, but she immediately tucked them behind her own ear.

Hiro's voice, "_Just tell her,_" kept echoing. So did hers. "_It's just a game._" His heart thumped rapidly and he was feeling clammy.

"GoGo..."

She faced him.

"I..." He swallowed. "I'm sorry."

She raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"I shouldn't have said what I said in our... fight."

"That again? For the last time, Hamada-"

"No, I know it hurt you. I _saw_ you, and I'm really-"

"I know Hiro told you to say it. He called me."

Now it was his turn to be confused. "He what?"

"A few days ago. He called me and told me he gave you flashcards and everything. And he told me you wanted to talk to me."

"I don't... how did he get your number?"

She smiled. "He took your phone."  
>"What? I put a passcode!"<p>

"He also said you should check if anyone's hovering over you next time you put it in."

"Unbelievable," he mumbled.

"Look, I'm not upset about what you said. I'm really not." She bit her lip. "It's... not because you said it. But it's just something I've known for a while. I'm not the type of person people want to be with. Romantically or whatever."

_It's not true._

"Which is why it's really pointless for Honey to keep setting me up on these things."

_I love you._

"It's not that much different from our fake relationship thing."

_I love you, I love you, I love you._

"At the end of the day, it's never real, so-"

"It wasn't fake."

"Excuse me?"

Tadashi must've looked like a tomato. His face was burning. "The relationship. Or... my part. Or whatever it was! It wasn't a game. F-for me."

She frowned, cheeks turning pink. "What are you saying?"

"I... want to be with you." For no solid reason, he grabbed his cap. "So... you're wrong there. I-I do want to be with you. For real."

She stared at him in shock, and for a moment he thought she would slap him. He nearly flinched as she reached out, but instead she pulled him down by his cardigan and pressed her lips to his, releasing him just as quickly. Before she could get a word in, Tadashi tossed his hat aside and wrapped his arms around her, melding their lips together again. They were warm, he noted as she ran her fingers through his hair.

"You're a dork, Tadashi," she whispered as they broke only millimeters apart.

"Ah, but I'm a dork you just made out with," he said, planting another kiss on her forehead. "The others are gonna have a field day about this."

"Mmm, we'll find some creative way around it."

"So... does mean we're in a _real_-ationship?"

She cringed. "That was so bad."

He had to laugh at that. "Okay, yeah, it was pretty bad." His heart was still racing as he managed to get the words out. "I love you."

She tugged at his cardigan, still smiling. "I love you too, dork."

**. End .**


End file.
